Best way to see if someone has training in boxing is watching his feet. If he moves them with his punches correctly he has training, if he just stands like an idiot swinging his hands you know he canīt box.

Heh, when I started Western Fencing back in HS, I immeaditely took to standing sideways and they asked; "You've done TKD, right?"

Years later, while working overnights at a gas station in a nasty neighborhood in Portland, a little Asian guy asked me if I did Krotty. I asked him how he knew I did MA. He said my red scarred knuckles. (Those are from hitting brick walls in my angry adolescent years, not from ACTUAL Iron Fist training.) I asked him what he did. He said he liked to swing a stick around in his backyard and pretend he was a Samurai. I thought that was pretty original, so I laughed.

I personally use a Ninja tactic on people; I'm an angry loudmouth who brags about martial arts, but I can actually fight. For all the TKD, WC, KF, and BBT I did, I've also done FMA, Shooto, MT, Judo, and Boxing. It's what I call counter reverse psychology. Anybody who knows anything about the arts knows the blabber knows nothing, so I blab to hide it.

I reckon you can tell, but only sometimes. It is logical though cause if you're good at MA then it's near certain that you're posture and body language is affected, and assumedly there are some trademark subtleties common to some MAists.

probably the most common one ive been told (usually by a concerned relative) is that i limp. i dont know what that would tell anyone though except maybe "he must have walked into a coffee table"

Out of the guys I know who can fight, most of them are real quiet. When David Tua talks I can hardly even hear him half the time. one guy I know who is a very well respected fighter is also a gang member. he -looks- like one but from his demeanor you would never think he was much of a fighter.

Then again I know a fella who is loud, cocky, arrogant, and one of the best fighters I have ever seen. his last fight he turned up and the guy had pulled out and been replaced by a guy 10kg (thats 22 pounds for the americans) heavier with more experience. he proceeded to beat the **** out of this guy for 5 rounds, no questions asked.